This page created on 9th September 1998, updated 2nd February 2011

The Long Coaches, RCL2218-RCL2260

The RCLs probably should not have been built.
Their market was rapidly disappearing at the time.
It was the express services in from Essex,
that for so long had competed with sardine-like steam-hauled articulated
Gresley suburban trains on the Eastern Region, and the slow District line trains.
But these lines had newer sleeker,
faster electric trains that whisked Essex man into the City in greater comfort.

Even during the war these routes had used double - deckers, and after it had received dedicated GreenLine STLs and then the Daimlers.
Those had been replaced by a fleet of GreenLine RTs (buses in all but paint).
This group of routes had been untouched by the RMC class,
and it was felt that perhaps the slide in patronage could be countered
by giving the routes some really comfortable fast coaches.
Large capacity had always been needed in the good times on the route,
and now offered the opportunity to thin the schedules and save on staff costs.

And so the East End got its RCLs, 30 foot Routemaster coaches.
They were developed from the RMC coaches, and shared their style.
To maintain performance with the bigger buses (8 tons apiece),
AEC AV690 engines with 11.3 litres were fitted,
driving through semi-automatic gearboxes and high-ratio gears. They moved!

Displaced by the RCLs: GreenLine RT3254 in preservation (North Weald, June 1998)

New features compared to the RTs they replaced were deep GreenLine seating cushions,
a heating system that worked, luggage racks and doors.
Compared with the RMCs they had minor cosmetic changes, the most noticeable being the new radiator grille,
the deeper front valences (displacing the spotlight) and the full-width front display, as presaged by RMC1469's rebuild.

RCL2229,
part of the London Transport Museum collection,
shows what they looked like when new.
It made a rare appearance at the Gravesend Running Day in October 2005.

The coaches started to appear in May 1965, and went to Romford for the 721, 722 and 726 during June:

Date

Route

Garage

Type displaced

Displaced by..

6/65

721: Aldgate - Brentwood

RE

RT

RCL (18)

6/65

722: Aldgate - Upminster

RE

RT

RCL (10)

7/65

726: Romford - Aldgate - Whipsnade Zoo

RE

RT

RCL (1)

RCL2233 wears 726 blinds for its appearance at the Green Line 80 celebration at Wisley Airfield in April 2010..

The other 14 should have gone to Grays for the 723 group of routes, but it was found that clearances were not suitable on the 723B.
So five went to Hertford in a swap for RMCs:

Date

Route

Garage

Type displaced

Displaced by..

7/65

723: Aldgate - Tilbury Ferry

GY

RT

RCL

7/65

723A: Aldgate - Grays

GY

RT

RCL

7/65

715A: Marble Arch - Hertford

HG

RMC

RCL

The hoped-for revival on the East End routes didn't happen.
Electric trains would win every time in a straight battle with GreenLine coaches.
So after a year (June 1966) some of the RCLs were re-allocated,
those at Hertford first, plus those on the 722.
The sixteen RCLs went to Windsor and Tunbridge Wells for the 704 route.
At the end of 1966 the 709 was reduced in service, requiring just two large coaches.
Two RCLs were provided, one from Romford (via Hertford) and one from Grays,
where the remaining services were reduced accordingly.

Date

Route

Garage

Type displaced

Displaced by..

6/66

715A: Marble Arch - Hertford

HG

RCL

RF

6/66

722: Aldgate - Upminster

RE

RCL

RT

6/66

704: Windsor - Victoria - Tunbridge Wells

WR, TW

RF

RCL

6/66

457D: Windsor - Pinewood

WR, TW

RF

RCL

12/66

709: Godstone - Baker Street

GD

RF

RCL

12/66

723A: Aldgate - Grays

GY

RCL

withdrawn

A year later, at the end of 1967, Dunton Green received RCLs for the 705 route,
which collected businessmen from the stockbroker belt between Sevenoaks and Westerham
for delivery to the City or London Airport.
This route had previously been upgraded,
its RFs replaced by Reliance RCs in a new livery of pale grey, in March 1965.
Unfortunately the RCs were unreliable.
The RCLs for their replacement came from Grays,
which thereby lost its entire RCL fleet in favour of smaller RMCs.
At the same time the tiny GreenLine garage at Tunbridge Wells closed,
its entire allocation - eight RCLs for the 704 - being moved to Dunton Green.

RCL2233 shows blinds for route 704. Undergoing a partial repaint, it is seen at North Weald rally in 1998.

Date

Route

Garage

Type displaced

Displaced by..

12/67

723: Aldgate - Tilbury Ferry

GY

RCL

RMC

12/67

705: Sevenoaks - Victoria - Windsor

DG, WR

RC

RCL

12/67

431D: Sevenoaks - Orpington Stn

DG

RC

RCL

12/67

493: Orpington (Ramsden Est) - Green St Green

DG

RC

RCL

12/67

704: Windsor - Victoria - Tunbridge Wells

RCL (TW)

RCL (DG)

RCL

During 1967 RCL 2250 had the twin seat under the stairs replaced by an extra luggage rack,
but this was restored during 1968.

In early 1968 the RCLs were deemed due for an interim repaint, and went through Aldenham one by one throughout the year.
They emerged in the reduced GreenLine livery, without the pale window surrounds.
The seasonal 726 service to Whipsnade was withdrawn in September 1968.

In 1969 the 704 was reduced in frequency, allowing the return of six RCLs to Grays for the 723.

Date

Route

Garage

Type displaced

Displaced by..

9/68

726: Romford - Aldgate - Whipsnade Zoo

GY

RCL

withdrawn

10/69

704: Windsor - Victoria - Tunbridge Wells

RCL

reduced

RCL

10/69

723: Aldgate - Tilbury Ferry

GY

RMC

RCL

The London Country era

The RCLs were transferred to London Country at the start of 1970
without ever receiving a full overhaul by London Transport.
So their Certificates would all expire together in the middle of 1972
(seven years after construction), just before those for the green RMLs!
So London Country started to send the RCLs to Aldenham for complete overhauls
(without body change) from January 1971 onwards.
London Country established its own "float" of RMCs
that went round each RCL garage in turn during 1971,
enabling a batch of RCLs to go for overhaul.
They emerged still in Lincoln green with green bands.

The first RCL shakeup occurred in January 1972,
when the RP Reliances started to arrive.
London Country had decided that GreenLine needed sleek single-deckers,
not ponderous double-decker "buses".
The 721 went, and the 723, the RCLs being officially downgraded to buses
and receiving yellow bands and adverts.
The Grays RCLs went onto route 300, plus 328A/B.
Those from Romford went deep into the rural south, to Dorking and Reigate for the 414.
They also worked from Reigate on route 424, and short workings on the 406.

RP90 wearing 715 blinds, seen in preservation at Showbus 97

Date

Route

Garage

Type displaced

Displaced by..

1/72

723: Aldgate - Tilbury Ferry

GY

RCL, RMC

RP

1/72

721: Aldgate - Brentwood

RE

RCL

RP

1/72

300: Purfleet - Grays - Stifford Clays

GY

RT

RCL

1/72

328A/B: Purfleet - Grays - Orsett

GY

RT

RCL

1/72

414: West Croydon - Horsham

RG, DS

RT

RCL

1/72

424: Reigate - East Grinstead

RG

RT

RCL

1/72

406: Reigate - Epsom

RG

RT

RCL

March 1972 saw the end of RCL operation from Dunton Green and Windsor,
when the 704 and 705 were converted to RP. The RCLs moved to Reigate,
Crawley and Grays, for bus work.
This left only RCL 2236, 2237 and 2250 as coaches,
based at Godstone for the 709 peak-hour journeys.

Date

Route

Garage

Type displaced

Displaced by..

3/72

704: Tunbridge Wells - Windsor

DG, WR

RCL

RP

3/72

705: Sevenoaks - Windsor

DG, WR

RCL

RP

3/72

300: Purfleet - Grays - Stifford Clays

GY

RT

RCL

3/72

424: Reigate - East Grinstead

RG

RT

RCL

3/72

430: Reigate - Redhill

RG

RT

RCL

3/72

405: West Croydon - Crawley

CY

RT

RCL

3/72

426A: Pound Hill - Crawley - Ifield

CY

RT

RCL

3/72

434: Edenbridge - Crawley

CY

RT

RCL

3/72

476/A

CY

RT

RCL

During the mid seventies some of the RCLs received the corporate NBC livery,
but as they had not long been overhauled with repaints they were not top of anyone's priority list,
and some never did get repainted.

The first RCL withdrawal came in October 1975 when RCL2227 was delicensed, just ten years old!
RCL 2225 went in 1976. (Both received repaints after withdrawal: hope springs eternal!).
Others spent some time without engines, and were repainted in this state.
(After all, repainting these didn't take a bus out of service!).

Of the three coaches, only RCL2237 was repainted (with GREEN LINE fleetname),
in March 1975, while the other two soldiered on in fading Lincoln green.
Their nemesis arrived in May 1976,
in the shape of long-wheelbase Leyland National "coaches".
What the Surrey commuters thought of them compared to their comfortable RCLs
can be imagined. It probably brought greater pressure behind the scenes of power
to electrify the railway line to East Grinstead.

Date

Route

Garage

Type displaced

Displaced by..

3/75

709: Godstone - Baker Street

GD

RCL

LNC

In 1977 the Atlanteans completed the Grays opo scheme,
dispersing most of the remaining Grays RCLs.
Two went to Dartford.
Leyland National buses were now making their impact
around the London Country system.
This included displacement of the RCLs from the 414 by SNBs,
so Godstone was able to return some of its hired Atlanteans to Maidstone,
using RCLs on the 403,
alongside an increasing number of RMCs and the hardy remnants of the RTs.
The first two RCLs (unserviceable), were sold to London Transport, followed by another 18 runners.

Date

Route

Garage

Type displaced

Displaced by..

1977

414: Horsham - West Croydon

RG, DS

RCL

SNB

1977

403: Chelsham - West Croydon - Wallington

GD

hired Atlanteans

RCL

10/77

405: Crawley - West Croydon

RG

RCL

SNB

During 1978 the RCLs went into swift decline with London Country
Their certificates were coming up for renewal again,
and London Country withdrew them in droves,
replacing them where necessary with RMCs (eg on the 403 at Chelsham).
By the end of 1978 there were just three in service (2237, 2249 and 2250)
of which RCL 2250 still wore Lincoln green.
The last journey was by RCL2250 on 24th January 1979, on a Grays school special.